"...the subject which will be of most importance politically is Mass Psychology. ... The populace will not be allowed to know how its convictions were generated. ... As yet there is only one country which has succeeded in creating this politician’s paradise.” - Bertrand Russell, The Impact of Science on Society, 1960.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

CDC to Study Texas Morgellon's Case

He was " ... stricken with a mysterious malady which caused ... hair-like worms," but "medical authorities regarded the symptoms of the condition the result of hysteria or the product of a vivid imagination." How are worms growing from the epidermis the creation of overactive imaginations? The DOD said the same of my friend Willy, who said that he'd been doused with Agent Orange in Vietnam and has gradually gone completely blind. Blindness isn't a known symptom of "stress" or "hysteria," either.

But unreasoning denial IS a symptom of the dissociative pathologies ... or criminal collusion ...

SOCORRO, New Mexico (STPNS) -- The Rey Ortega family of San Antonio, once stricken with a mysterious malady which caused fever, rashes and hair-like worms to protrude from the skin, are still suffering from the effects.

Initially, medical authorities regarded the symptoms of the condition the result of hysteria or the product of a vivid imagination, but that diagnosis may change.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, in Atlanta, Ga., in a press release dated February 2 announced that it has initiated a study of the disease.

“Recently, the CDC has received an increased number of inquiries regarding an unexplained skin condition which some refer to as Morgellon’s,” the press release stated. “Persons who suffer from this unexplained skin condition report a range of [skin] symptoms including crawling, biting and stinging sensations; granules, threads, fibers or black speck-like materials on or beneath the skin; and/or skin lesions in the form of rashes and sores.”

The statement adds that “in addition to skin manifestations, some sufferers also report fatigue, mental confusion, short term memory loss, joint pain and changes in vision.

“The cause of this condition is unknown, and the medical community has insufficient information to determine whether persons who identify themselves as having this condition have a common cause for their symptoms or share common risk factors.”

“The primary goals of the investigation are to help us learn more about who may be affected with this condition, the symptoms they experience, and to generate hypotheses about factors that may contribute to it,” the release stated.

In the meantime, the Ortegas have had to move out of their mobile home in San Antonio. They are now staying with a family member in Luis Lopez, but say their three children, ages six, nine and 15, are still not allowed to attend classes.

“Every time we’ve tried to send them to school they said tell us they are contagious and don’t want others to get sick,” Kristy said. “We wanted to let them study at home, but the school won’t take a piece of paper. They don’t want anything that’s been in our house.”

She said home schooling is the only option.

“We’ve home-schooled them for the last two years,” Kristy said.

She said the family is still ostracized by the community.

“They don’t understand that if we knew we were still contagious we wouldn’t be out in public where other people could get it,” Kristy said. “When we were contagious we quarantined ourselves. People say, ‘You look better,’ but we’ll never get completely better until they find a cure.

“It’s like everyone is still uneducated about this thing,” she said. “People should know they can’t get this from us now because, as we understand it, we’re in stage four. It’s only contagious in stage one.”

Rey said his health continues to deteriorate, but the only medical assistance coming in is Medicaid for his chronic back problems.

“The fatigue is the worse, it’s getting to where I have to walk with a cane now and don’t have enough stamina to walk through the grocery store,” Rey said. “The nerve damage from the parasites have affected my leg.”

They are hoping results for the CDC study will result in some relief from their ordeal.

“We still go though a daily ritual, cleaning the house and making sure there’s no new symptoms,” Kristy said. “It’s been a nightmare.”

The CDC statement said, “The suffering that many people associate with this condition is best addressed by a careful, objective scientific analysis. Considering the complexity of this condition, we believe that a measured and thorough approach offers the best chance for finding useful answers.”

To learn more about this condition, CDC is conducting an epidemiologic investigation. CDC has awarded a contract to Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California Division of Research to assist CDC in the investigation of this condition. The study is being designed and led by CDC.